This week's safe schools snippets

Disaster management course teaches teens a thing or two

The door only opened a crack after the emergency crew knocked. Loud techno music blared from inside the house, and the young girl who answered the door claimed that no one inside had called the paramedics.

When the EMT workers finally made it inside the house, they found drunken teenagers, empty liquor bottles and an unconscious woman in the garage.

This was one of the scenarios at the Community College of Aurora’s Disaster Management Institute at the school’s Lowry Campus on July 12, as more than 50 high school students from across the state visited the school for a unique training exercise. Read all about it in the Aurora Sentinel.

Why teens and adults send x-rated texts

NEW YORK CITY — In some social circles, sending a nude photo via text message — sexting — leads to public shame, embarrassment and a ruined reputation for the sender.

There have been countless stories of what happens when a naked or suggestive message falls into the wrong hands — just ask former congressman Anthony Weiner. But rarely do we discuss why people send these messages in the first place. Find a few explanations in Live Science.

Anti-bullying law expanded to social networking sites

A California state law prohibiting cyber-bullying at public schools has been expanded to ban harassment through social networking websites. Read more at California Watch.

At teen’s trial, bullying of gays in focus

The trial of a teen accused of killing a gay classmate is bringing national attention to the problem of gay bullying. Check out this NPR report.

Facebook fights back against bullies

In an effort to address a serious problem that torments many children and young adults, Facebook is ganging up on bullies. A recent Consumer Reports survey shows that in just the past year, 1 million kids were victims of cyber-bullying. Check out this WPVI TV report out of Philadelphia.